LOVING DAHLIA ( ᴘᴀɪɢᴇ ʙᴜᴇᴄᴋᴇʀs) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 7: The Smile That Gave It Away

Paige entered the gym, her cheeks aching from the wide smile she couldn't seem to shake. She hadn't expected to see Dahlia again so soon, but fate had brought them together once more, and she couldn't be happier about it. The image of Dahlia's steel-grey eyes and the way her face flushed when Paige caught her replayed in her mind, making her heart race.

As she walked further into the gym, Paige couldn't help but think about how Dahlia was also at UConn-she'd noticed the UConn sweatshirt Dahlia had been wearing when they bumped into each other. That tiny detail thrilled Paige more than she wanted to admit. Dahlia wasn't just some random woman she'd met once. She was here, on campus. She'd be around.

Paige grabbed a basketball from the rack, spinning it absentmindedly between her hands as her mind wandered back to Dahlia. The soft sound of her laugh, the way she looked flustered and shy, the warmth of her presence-Paige hadn't felt this giddy in a long time. It was almost embarrassing how one encounter had her so distracted, but she couldn't deny that she liked it.

Completely lost in her thoughts, Paige didn't notice the stares from her teammates-at least not until an arm was draped around her shoulders, and she heard Azzi's curious voice next to her.

"Alright, spill it," Azzi said with a teasing grin. "Who's got you smiling like that?"

Paige blinked, snapped out of her daze, and looked over at Azzi, who was giving her an amused look. Before she could even attempt to respond, her other teammates started chiming in, teasing her for the wide grin she'd been wearing since she entered the gym.

"I don't think I've ever seen Paige smile this hard," Nika called out from across the court, her tone full of mischief.

"She's definitely thinking about someone," added Caroline, laughing as she nudged Aaliyah.

"Yeah, Paige, who is it?" Azzi pressed, her arm still slung casually around Paige's shoulders. "You've got to tell us."

Paige opened her mouth, trying to think of a way to brush it off, but just as she was about to answer, the gym doors opened behind her. She turned, and there she was-the very woman who had her smiling like an idiot.

Dahlia walked in, her camera slung around her neck, looking every bit as beautiful as she had earlier. Paige's breath caught in her throat as their eyes met for a brief moment. She quickly looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious under her teammates' watchful gazes. But she couldn't help it-her eyes drifted back to Dahlia as she walked over to Coach Geno Auriemma, exchanging a few words with him.

Paige could feel the heat rising to her face, and her heart pounded in her chest. She hadn't expected to see Dahlia again this soon, and certainly not here, in the gym where she practiced every day. But now that she was here, Paige couldn't help but steal glances, her thoughts spinning with possibilities.

Before Paige could get too lost in her daydream, a basketball came flying straight at her head. It hit her shoulder with a soft thud, and she snapped out of her thoughts, turning to see who had thrown it.

Nika, her twin, stood there smirking, arms crossed as she leaned casually against the wall. "Heads up, dreamer. You're practically drooling over there."

Paige glared playfully at her twin, rubbing her shoulder. "Really, Nika?"

Nika just shrugged, her smirk widening. "I'm just saying... you might want to focus on practice instead of daydreaming about her." She nodded toward Dahlia, who was still talking to Coach Geno.

The rest of the team burst into laughter, clearly enjoying the teasing. Paige groaned, shaking her head, but she couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. They weren't wrong-Dahlia had completely stolen her focus.

Just then, Coach Geno blew his whistle, his voice cutting through the laughter. "Alright, that's enough social hour. Get back to practice before I make you run suicides!"

The girls immediately straightened up, laughter fading as they grabbed their basketballs and headed back to their drills. Paige, still feeling the lingering effects of her teammates' teasing, took a deep breath and joined in. But no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept drifting back to the woman just a few feet away, still talking with Coach.

Paige had never been this distracted during practice before, and it was all because of Dahlia. Maybe it was fate that had brought them together again, or maybe it was just pure luck. Either way, Paige wasn't complaining.

And if fate had more encounters in store for them, she was ready for it.

XoXo V ❤️❤️❤️